When Worlds Collide
by prettynpink8
Summary: Sky got to see what it was like always being the red ranger...now with the threat of another Troobian uprising he meets his counterpart again, still dealing with the aftermath of their first encounter. SS and SOC pairings.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the follow up story to "Home is Relative" and it will make a lot more sense if you read that first. (No worries, it's not that long) and this starts out in the non-canon dimension but will switch back and forth eventually. FYI, the canon storyline takes place post Endings. Thanks for reading and any ideas and/or criticism is always welcome! 

It was late at night in New Tech City, a soft breeze drifting through the open window of an in town apartment. The middle aged woman smiled as she took in the serene city lights and went back to knitting, jolting suddenly as she caught a bright flash from the corner of her eye. A loud boom followed not long after and she inwardly groaned, jumping from her seat and shutting the window. She hurriedly collected her children and ushered them into a shelter, often used during dangerous attacks and battles in the city. Thankfully they had become less frequent after the defeat of the Troobians, but not unheard of.

Outside the red ranger powered down his battelizer, anticipating the destruction of the criminal Karthix. When the smoke cleared Karthix emerged, his iridescent purple exoskeleton still very much in tact. "I wish you would just die already," Sky growled in frustration. The A-Squad red ranger and his team had been fighting the intergalactic assassin for what seemed like forever, and they still hadn't been able to contain him or even leave a scratch on him.

"And I wish I had a pony, unfortunately life just doesn't work that way," a very familiar voice came over the com link in Sky's helmet. Sky scowled in disbelief, looking around him for the source of the comment. The Fire Squad red ranger strode confidently toward him, the rest of her squad in tow. Sky couldn't resist smiling, though his pride took an instant hit when he realized what her presence meant. Back-up had been called in. The Commander didn't believe he could handle the situation.

"Mere?!" Dozer asked in disbelief, temporarily forgetting the battle at hand.

"Hey Dozer. I gotta say, I'm surprised the uniform fits you," she joked easily.

The A-Squad blue ranger looked over his current attire in mock deliberation. "It's no green, but it's works. I think you stretched the butt out though."

"Shut up," Meredith protested, smacking her old friend across the arm.

"Let's focus guys," Sky ordered his team, still not acknowledging the presence of his former second in command.

"Lucky, Crater…you guys take the south side. We'll drive him back so you can get a jump on him," Meredith commanded her yellow and black Fire-Squad rangers.

"What are you doing?" Sky asked, approaching the girl who donned the same color as he.

"He's Tanzonian," Meredith explained simply.

"Meaning?" the A-Squad pink ranger finally spoke up.

"Meaning his exoskeleton makes him virtually indestructible. We have a device that can crack it, leaving him vulnerable but it needs to be applied to the back of his neck," Meredith continued, nodding to her remaining squad. The green and blue rangers took off running toward Karthix.

"Wait, where are they going?" Dozer asked.

"Josh and Aidan are keeping him busy until the others can get into position. We'll need to draw his fire as well, if we're done with this little powwow that is," Meredith added, eyeing her former leader. She could practically hear him sigh through their helmets.

"Let's go," Sky nodded in affirmation. The rangers bombarded Karthix and kept his focus, allowing Lucky and Crater to successfully place the device. Once it had been activated they regrouped, trying to ignore the blood-curdling scream it was eliciting from the alien.

"One last hit and he should be weak enough to contain," the Fire-Squad blue ranger observed. All parties grabbed their weapons and took aim, firing on a combined command of Meredith and Sky. A large explosion shook the entire street, leaving Karthix lying helpless, groaning and trying to sit up unsuccessfully.

Meredith stepped forward and took out her morpher, clicking it into judgment mode. "You are charged with the murders of a Frenovian diplomat, a Druidian cardinal, and several civilians," she announced, waiting as the device deliberated the truth. After a few moments a bright red X flashed, declaring that he was in fact guilty. Without wasting any time she hit him with a blast of anti-matter and Karthix was secure in a containment card. Satisfied, Meredith took a deep breath and went to pick up the card, powering down as she did so. Everyone else followed suit, both squads faces revealing relief and gratefulness that it was over. Everyone except for Sky. Meredith flicked her side-swept bangs out of her face, hesitantly making eye contact with the other red ranger.

Sky's resolve hardened, annoyed that another squad had swooped in to dominate his case, but mostly caught off-guard by the impromptu appearance of his former best friend. Her uniform was black instead of the usual grey, with red now traveling the length of her arm. Even her hair was longer, the dark golden blonde having been lightened by the suns of many planets. But her light blue eyes, so much more expressive than he let his own piercing gaze convey, still had the same mischievous twinkle. He had missed her, and that only annoyed him more. She walked toward him, the rest of their squads now dissipating as they planned to head back to base for debriefing. "You guys were great out there. Anyone else wouldn't have lasted nearly as long against him," she almost congratulated. Meredith extended her hand, holding the containment card out for him to take. Sky lowered his eyes to the contained criminal and then back to the girl in front of him. She was letting him bring it in. Giving him and his squad the credit for the capture when clearly they were over their heads.

"I don't need your pity. You earned the capture, you bring him in," Sky replied a bit coldly.

Meredith rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "We just happened to have access to the right technology that's all. You guys were out here doing the real work…" she tried to explain, noting Sky cross his arms over his chest. "Fine, you won't take him? I'll just leave him here then. You explain to the Commander why you left a containment card lying in the street," she said as she set the card down at her feet. "See you back at the base," Meredith smiled sweetly as she strode past him to the waiting S.P.D. jeep.

Sky turned and watched as she hopped into the passenger seat of the jeep, realizing she really was just going to leave Karthix there. "Real professional Ols…" he growled and shook his head, lowering himself and hastily picking up the card. He began to massage his temple as he marched back toward his motorcycle, mentally berating himself for letting the nickname slip. He took another deep breath and put his helmet on, deciding to do an extra round of simulator training when he got back to blow off steam. 'You're going to give me an aneurism,' he thought, trying to lower his blood pressure and frustration for his former teammate. He revved the engine and hit the gas, following both squads back toward the S.P.D. base.


	2. Chapter 2

Commander Cruger paced about the conference room that had been cleared out to accommodate both squads. Meredith folded her hands gently on the table in front of her, avoiding Sky's gaze that she could feel now burning upon her. To her left the blue Fire-squad ranger, Aidan, let his eyes glaze over the A-squad sitting across the table with disinterest. The mission had been completed and he wanted to know why they were still on earth. They had been diverted on their way to his home planet of Druidia, having been scheduled for a week of seminars and light training and he was eager to resume their original plan. He ran a hand over his short black hair, releasing a slow breath and letting his almond eyes flick back to the Commander.

The black Fire-squad ranger bounced one leg up and down anxiously, his mind on the same wavelength as his blue teammate. His gently tousled light brown hair and green eyes had caught the eye of the platinum haired A-squad pink ranger as he leaned back in his chair. Duke, or Crater as he was affectionately called, raised his hand half-heartedly to get the attention of the now cryptic commander. "With all due respect sir, why are we still here? We came with the device you requested and the criminal is secure…" he goaded gently.

At her teammate's comment something inside Meredith's brain clicked. Her head cocked gently to the side in revelation and she spoke evenly, "A prototype blue print for the device could have been sent from Central Command and made with the machinery here in under ten minutes. But you requested our squad specifically…why are we really here?" It didn't take a psychic to pick up on the nervous energy Cruger was emitting, although apparently the new A-Squad green ranger was in fact psychic.

Dozer leaned forward in anticipation of his Commander's response. He supposed he never really thought about it that way, though he assumed calling in the Fire-squad was just another attempt at keeping Sky's ego in check. A rather aggressive and unnecessary one but Commander Cruger prided himself on keeping those around him on their toes. Cruger stopped in his tracks and sighed heavily, "I apologize for being mysterious about why you're here. But there have been several leaks in the upper echelon of S.P.D. and I couldn't risk letting this information get into the wrong hands."

"A mole?" Sky questioned, unable to keep the disbelief from his voice.

Cruger nodded curtly. "But that's not why you're here. I've requested your presence due to the continuing disturbance with a dimensional tear. Over the last two weeks several civilians and S.P.D. equipment has disappeared. Our monitors of the area show activity off the charts, but we can't seem to keep surveillance on it. We fear that it's being used by an underground Troobian cell to conduct arms trade and gather their forces. Both squads here have had some experience with dimensional tears before, especially the Fire-squad," he explained, finally taking his seat at the head of the table between Meredith and Sky. Josh, the green Fire-squad ranger, let flashbacks of Mirinoi and the weeks worth of dimension hopping they did while there chasing a terrorist mutant pass through his mind.

"Why weren't we alerted to this two weeks ago?" Sky asked, baffled as to why they of all people would be left in the dark about something so serious.

"We didn't have enough information to draw your resources away from doing battle with the Charfratt brothers," Cruger dismissed, referring to the two Kerovian rebels that had been taking personal vengeance upon Earth's civilians up until two days ago.

"Where is it?" the yellow A-squad ranger asked, clearly confused by the whole situation. The yellow Fire-squad ranger watched the olive skinned brunette from across the table with interest as he flipped his shaggy blonde hair out of his hazel eyes. Berret, or 'Lucky', had to mentally shake himself from staring as he tried to refocus on the conversation at hand.

'Oh God, please don't say it…please let it be somewhere else,' Meredith silently prayed in a sudden surge of panic. Her throat constricted and her cheeks flushed, having a sinking feeling she knew exactly where the disturbance was.

Cruger hesitated only a moment before answering, "Sector twelve."

'Fuck.' Dozer, Sky, and even Cruger immediately looked at Meredith, watching to see what her reaction would be. Trying to shrug it off she stared back blankly, trying to keep from reacting outwardly at all.

The A-squad pink ranger noticed the sudden focus on the female red ranger and scrunched her nose in confusion. "Is there something special about sector twelve?" Sydney asked, wondering if she forgot to read a chapter in her handbook or something. Her teammate Laura nodded her head as well, wondering the exact same thing.

"No," Meredith replied quickly. A little too quickly Josh noted mentally.

Dozer scoffed in disbelief while Sky shook his head slightly at Meredith's response, both saying nothing. Cruger took the opportunity to end the meeting, "Alright that's enough for now. It's been a long night and you should all try to get as much rest as possible before the morning. We'll report back here at 0800 hours tomorrow. Dismissed."

Both squads filed out of the room, eager to get some well deserved rest. Sky gently took Meredith's arm, stopping her from following the rest of her squad to the guest quarters. She shrugged out of his grasp and looked up expectantly. "What?"

"I think we should talk about this whole thing," Sky began awkwardly, suddenly regretting trying to talk to her about the sector twelve situation, both past and present.

"You didn't want to talk about it nine months ago…why would we start now?" Meredith asked flippantly, turning and taking a step to walk away. She wanted desperately to put the past behind her, to not feel the sting of betrayal every time she thought of what happened but she couldn't.

"Stop. That's an order," Sky said authoritatively before he could stop himself, instantly cringing at how he had sounded.

Meredith stopped dead, shocked he would pull something like that with her. Even when she was his second in command he had never ordered her around so disrespectfully. It was insulting at best. She turned around slowly, her stoic expression so foreign to her usually warm and inviting features. "You can't order me to do anything," she replied coolly, spreading her arms slightly and indicating her uniform.

Sky felt as if he had been slapped in the face, frozen in place and not quite sure what to say. Meredith ignored the hint of guilt as she turned back around and walked slowly but purposefully away. Sky watched her retreating figure turn the corner and he felt overwhelmed. He wanted to punch something and break down all at the same time. After years of being so close their relationship had come to this, taking cheap shots at each other. He reluctantly turned and headed back to his quarters, opting instead of an extra work out to crash. The small but charged fight with Meredith had left him emotionally drained and he didn't want to think about it anymore tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Meredith stepped off the escalator and onto the second floor, walking toward the guest quarters as she absently fingered the scar on her right hand left by intensive IVs. Seeing Sky now and experiencing the true distance between them made Meredith feel like what happened nine months before was a lifetime ago. But with mentions of sector twelve, being back on earth and in the place that was her home for almost three formidable years, she couldn't help but feel as if the bloody debacle had only happened yesterday.

_Meredith groaned softly as she started to come out of her sedative. Blinking, she tried to clear her blurry vision revealing the interior of a rather drab hospital room inside the infirmary at the S.P.D. base. Confusion threatened to overtake her when the events of the last day or so slowly made their way back into her consciousness. The 'other' Sky from an unknown dimension…the fight with Hathor…the blast that nearly killed her. 'At least I'm pretty sure I'm not dead,' she thought to herself morbidly. Trying to examine her condition she suddenly realized that trying to move any part of her body was almost impossible. Despite the pain killers that she was positive were in her system every fiber of ever muscle ached, paling in comparison to the heavy burn that was assailing her chest. Before she had a chance to further examine her condition Dr. Felix walked in carrying a chart. He smiled when he saw that she was awake. "Cadet Oliver, how are you feeling?" he asked congenially. _

_Meredith started to speak but all that came out were a few strained squeaks. She tried to swallow to sooth the irritation but her mouth was too dry. "Here, this will help," Dr. Felix offered, handing a small cup with a straw to her. Meredith took the cup slowly and sipped the water, feeling instantaneously better. _

_"Thank you," she whispered in a gravely voice. Dr. Felix nodded in acknowledgment. _

_"Your surgery went well," he began, looking down at the chart._

_"Surgery?" Meredith questioned, she had no idea her injuries were that serious. _

_"Yes, you had some extensive internal bleeding that needed immediate attention as well as two broken ribs. Also, your left lung was collapsed and you have some second degree burns."_

_Meredith simply nodded, a bit dazed and shocked at the severity of the situation. "But I'll be fine right?" she asked, a bit scared. _

_Dr. Felix smiled once again, though it had a tinge of sadness to it. "Yes, you will be fine. We were able to stop the internal bleeding, and your ribs and burns will just take time to heal. As far as your lung goes, it was weakened by the damage but with time should be able to function at capacity as before," he explained carefully._

_"How much time?" _

_"It varies as you can imagine. The important thing is that you focus on resting and healing. We need to keep you in the infirmary until the end of the week at least. The nurse will be in later but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, okay?"_

_Meredith nodded as Dr. Felix turned and exited the room, leaving her alone. Her mind should be racing with questions and irrational fears, and the severe need to have her mother by her side but all she felt was numb. 'Is this what shock is like?' she asked herself absently. Her glazed eyes moved over the room, taking in the static space that seemed to suspend time. She was hurt, extensively. Her rational brain knew that. And yet…nothing. _

_She stared blankly, the muted beeping of her heart monitor fading into the background, and it seemed as if an eternity passed when thoughts finally began to break through into her conscious reasoning. When dinner rolled around she couldn't just get out of bed and walk down to the dining commons and eat with her squad like she would have any other day. Tomorrow's training would start off with a three-mile run to warm up…but she couldn't run. Breathing was a labored task while she was just lying there. What was she going to do? Lay around for a week or ten purposeless? She didn't know how to be broken._

_Finally the tears came. _

_After a while Meredith stopped crying, the shaking from the sobs being too much for her chest to handle. A soft knock at the door drew her attention and she looked up, expecting to see her closest friend, team leader, and so much more. Her face and spirits fell slightly when she saw it was Charlie. Her pink teammate walked into the room cautiously, smiling as empathetically as she could. "Hi. How are you feeling?" she asked as she tucked some curly, caramel locks behind her ear. _

_"Okay I guess," Meredith answered quietly. _

_"Here, I thought you might want something that wasn't hospital issued," Charlie presented a royal blue fleece blanket. Meredith smiled as best she could without cracking her dry lips._

_"Thanks, that's really nice of you." Charlie proceeded to place the blanket over Meredith's legs and thin hospital sheets. _

_Dieter emerged through the door looking uncomfortable and out of place, but carrying a gift as well. He walked up to Meredith's bedside and set a remote on the small table. "It's a universal remote. Just in case you get sick of sleeping," he said with a small smile, his eyes portraying deep and genuine concern she hadn't known he was capable of. _

_"Thanks Dozer," Meredith thanked, squeezing his hand lightly with hers. He placed his other hand over hers for a moment before pulling away. _

_Andrew stepped up, Meredith not even noticing when he came in. "Here, I saw this and thought you might like it." A small, blue teddy bear appeared in Meredith's lap the next moment._

_"Aww, Harps. I love it, you didn't have to," she gushed quietly. _

_"I'm just glad you like it," he replied a bit sheepishly. _

_"Well, we'll get out of your hair and let you get some rest. Feel better okay?" Charlie asked, though it sounded like more of a command than a question. _

_"Yes ma'am."_

_Charlie smiled, "Like you would ever take orders from me."_

_"True," Meredith relented. "Thanks for coming guys, I'll see you later." They all nodded and filed out in a rather melancholy state. Outside the door she could swear she heard someone talking with her doctor, about what sounded like her condition. After a moment she realized that it was probably Sky and she waited for him to come in. But he never did. After a few moments he stopped talking to Dr. Felix but she could hear footsteps as they echoed down the hall in the opposite direction. 'He's probably just getting a drink or something,' Meredith rationalized to herself. Minutes passed and slowly it was an hour later before she realized he wasn't coming. A few more tears slipped down her cheek before she finally gave in to her exhaustion, leaving her feeling scared and awfully alone, despite the teddy bear, when she drifted off to a dreamless sleep. _

Meredith waited a moment before stepping into her assigned temporary quarters, trying to oppress her nostalgic wishes that she could go back to her old room. With a gentle swish she entered the room, taking note of her roommate for the night. "Hey Josh," she greeted exhaustedly.

The Trithian green ranger with dark brown, buzzed hair looked up from making his bed. "Hey Mere," he greeted, watching carefully as she unceremoniously plopped down onto her bed across the room. "You want to talk about it?" he offered.

"Dear God no," she instantly replied with a wry smile, making Josh recoil slightly in surprise. "Sorry, it's just if I think about it anymore I'm pretty sure my head will explode," she explained, taking off her jacket as she did so.

Josh nodded in understanding as he crawled underneath his covers. "Is there anyone I need to punch? Or glare at?" he asked supportively. Before Meredith could reply the doors opened unexpectedly.

"Who do we need to punch?" Lucky asked, stepping into the room with his arms full of blankets and pillows.

"You if you think you're going to steal my bed," Meredith replied as she stripped off her uniform pants and quickly threw on flannel ones. Neither male officer thought twice of the intimate wardrobe change having all shared close quarters in much harsher conditions before.

"Crater and Aidan kicked me out," Lucky almost whined pathetically.

Josh and Meredith shared a knowing look before he spoke up. "The floor's all yours."

"I'll take it," Lucky said as he dropped everything to the floor. The three rangers settled in and turned off the lights.

"And I better not find you in my bed when I wake up like when we were on Frenovia," Meredith threatened in good humor.

"But you don't take up the whole bed and hardly move at all," Lucky defended.

"I think you can survive one night on the floor…"

Lucky sighed dramatically, "Fine."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N-Italics are memories which you probably already figured out... 

Sky sat on his bed, the quiet in his room suddenly becoming oppressive as he decided to turn off his light. He tried to shake everything off as he lay down and stretched out, his exhaustion overtaking his body but his mind still meandering through years of memories.

_"Go! I see an opening ahead!" Sky ordered from a few strides behind her. It had started to rain only a few moments before, slicking the dirt beneath their shoes. The krybots didn't seem to be following them anymore but they couldn't take chances by slowing down. They had been running for what felt like miles, but Sky's rational brain knew their muscles were just fatigued from the strenuous mission that had taken them all day before even doing battle with the krybots. The mission seemed simple enough when Commander Cruger had summoned the B-Squad first thing this morning. A powerful energy source in transit from KO-35 was on a ship that had crash landed in the middle of the vast forest near the border of Nevada. Sky could markedly distinguish the difference in weight that the crystalline structure had added to his backpack as he stayed on the heels of his blue counterpart. _

"_Root," Meredith called out as she jumped over the obstacle. Sky's eyes instantly went to the ground and he narrowly saved himself from tripping. 'If only we had been able to stay together,' he thought regretfully. Despite his arrogance he knew their strength was in numbers. But when several orange heads, blue heads, and krybots had followed them to the power source there was no choice but to split into two teams and spread out. Troobian numbers had been cut that way but so had theirs…hopefully they would be able to make it back to the transport. To make matters worse the storm that began was not only making them wet, but impaired their ability to see, navigate, the gale winds were becoming much harsher, and their morphers had been on the fritz due to the contributing factors of an electrical storm. 'If I could picture Hell, this is what it would be,' Sky thought discouragingly. When Meredith hit the entrance of a cave she stopped running and Sky followed her right inside. Darkness was beginning to fall and Sky decided they would have to stay the night or at least ride out the rest of the storm. _

"_Let me guess, we're bunking here for the night?" Meredith asked, already knowing what he was thinking. Sky simply nodded, moving behind Meredith so he could grab a flashlight from her pack. "Your welcome."_

_Without acknowledging her Sky began to explore the cavern further, finding some discarded branches that were dry enough to use as firewood. After setting down her pack Meredith began gathering the twigs and putting them in a pile, making sure to note that the cave was devoid of animal activity. 'Hopefully it stays that way,' she thought uncomfortably. "Bring those back here," Sky called from further in the cave. She approached him with her hands full and dumped them in front of his kneeling figure. "This way if they come looking they won't be able to see the light from the fire as well," he explained._

"_Right." Meredith released another deep breath and looked around, taking in the damp atmosphere, unable to stop a shiver from going straight down her spine. For the first time she realized she hadn't eaten in a very long time and couldn't quiet the low grumble that her stomach was making. Sky simply raised an eyebrow in her direction when he heard the noise. Meredith grabbed her backpack and Sky's, dragging them to the wall where she sat down and situated herself. Her top layer was wet so she stripped it off, leaving only a t-shirt to maintain her body heat rather unsuccessfully. She draped the jacket over her backpack to help it dry while grabbing rations and water from both bags and setting them out. "Hungry?" she questioned the red ranger. _

"_Yeah," he nodded, getting up and walking toward her, sitting next to her as he leaned against the wall for support. They ate in silence and drank some of their water thankfully. After they put their wrappers and canteens away Sky checked his morpher again. He opened up a general com link but all he received was static. _

"_Silver lining? At least they won't be able to track the power source in the electrical storm," Meredith offered shrugging. _

_Sky glanced to his backpack, "Good point." A few more moments of contemplative silence passed before Sky spoke again. "We should rest in shifts. I'll watch the entrance first," he offered, or commanded rather. He pushed his back harder against the wall, craning his neck and realized he could see the entrance around the bend from where he was sitting. He looked back to his second in command and noticed that she had goose bumps and was beginning to shake involuntarily. Sky took off his jacket that wasn't as wet as hers and put it across her. _

_Meredith shook her head slightly, "It's okay. I'm fine, besides you'll get cold," she offered, shrugging off his red accented S.P.D. coat slightly. Sky frowned. _

"_I'm not cold, and you're shaking," he rebuddled, annoyed at her stubbornness. He replaced the jacket over her and she released a frustrated sigh._

"_Would you make Dozer wear your jacket?" she questioned, harsher than she had intended. _

_Sky recoiled slightly, confused by her outburst. Over the years they had both looked out for each other, he didn't understand why she was threatened by his help now. "What are you talking about?"_

_Meredith stood abruptly and began to pace, wondering if now was a good time to tell him how she really felt. If anytime would ever be a good time to tell him how she felt. "What's going on?" Sky asked, eyeing Meredith suspiciously as she paced back and forth in front of him, wringing her hands nervously. _

_She stopped and faced him suddenly, squinting her eyes close in a moment of final decision. "I like you," she blurted out. She opened one eye hesitantly, unsure of whether she wanted to witness Sky's reaction. _

_Sky's mind went completely blank as if saying, 'does not compute.' She liked him. The girl he's known for two years as a squad teammate, someone he's blown up at or shut out too many times to count. "What?" was all he could muster, his jaw slightly ajar. _

_Meredith tilted her head back and rolled her eyes. "Please don't make me say it again…" she pleaded, her tone oozing with embarrassment and frustration. _

_Sky quickly stood, grasping his jacket with one hand and staring at the athletic blonde in front of him. "Why?" he asked finally, still flabbergasted. _

_Meredith threw her hands up and began pacing around the small space once again, the soft, warm light from the fire the only harbor from the dark and stormy night. "You're killing me Tate," she exclaimed, exasperated from his lack of response. "I would love to claim temporary insanity but it's just not the truth. I mean…I like you. You've got morals and principles coming out the wazoo, you have a good heart, you protect strangers everyday that don't always deserve it, and sometimes you're actually fun to be around," she huffed. She took a few moments to catch her breath before muttering, "Plus you're kind of cute." Sky caught the last comment and blushed lightly, knocking him from his trance of disbelief. "Say something, I feel like an idiot," Meredith confessed a bit quieter. _

_Sky scratched the back of his neck absently, grasping for words. "I had no idea," he offered, shrugging slightly._

"_And now that you do?" Meredith asked hesitantly._

"_Ols…I…like you too. I always kind of have, but I just figured it could never happen," he finally confessed uncomfortably. _

"_Why?" It was Meredith's turn to be confused._

"_Because. I trust and respect you as a peer, and I care about you more than a friend and that…well, a lot of things could go wrong."_

"_Like?" Meredith goaded._

"_Like I screw it up. Or it distracts us on the job. Or you jump in front of a blast and you get more than broken ribs. I don't know if I could handle that," Sky confided. _

_Meredith hugged her arms and looked down slightly, nodding as she took in his words. It was obvious he was still hurt over his father's untimely death, and that perhaps he wasn't prepared to take their friendship into other realms of co-ed interaction. "I get it. Five minutes ago we were just co-workers and friends and now…I've screwed that up. It would be kind of hard to go back to the Abbott and Costello routine knowing how we feel, but can I just say something before we endure a lifetime of awkwardness?" she asked, now looking at Sky pleadingly. He nodded encouragingly. _

"_You won't screw it up…if I can endure two years of being your friend and dealing with everything you dish out on a day to day basis then that is so not the issue," she started. Sky frowned slightly in offense. "Sorry, I know I'm not perfect either. But if I can go this long ignoring my feelings for you and just concentrating on the job then it won't be a distraction. And as far as one of us getting hurt…we both joined S.P.D. knowing the risks and I think it would be harder losing you knowing that you never knew how I felt. And now that I've poked holes in all of your objections I'll say this…I'm not going to argue with you and try to convince you to go on a date with me or whatever. If you don't want to then fine, if you're not ready then so be it. At least I know I told you and that I didn't creep you out or anything," she added, scoffing slightly. Meredith looked up and for the first time tonight smiled despite herself. _

_Sky looked at her, letting the words wash over him. His brain had started to run a million scenarios and logical reasoning began to overlap with what Meredith was trying to say. It was too much and he tried to find what his heart was telling him through all the noise, his gut instinct. "You're not creepy," he stated._

"_Thank you, that's very reassuring," Meredith narrowed her eyes slightly. Sky continued to smile and almost laughed lightly. "What is so amusing?" she asked, slightly irritated. _

"_I've got nothing. You obliterated all of my knee jerk defenses to get out of an emotional situation," he admitted, finally acknowledging his original actions. It was somewhat liberating to understand why you acted the way you did, and self-awareness had given Sky the confidence to get over his hang-ups, at least for the moment. _

"_I'm waiting for the funny part."_

"_I guess it's not. It's just…" he tried to explain as Meredith began to rub her arms to warm herself, waiting for him to clue her in. Sky stepped forward and put his jacket around her shoulders, his hands still at the front where he pulled it snuggly around her. Meredith's cheeks flushed lightly and she looked up into his eyes. "No argument necessary." At Sky's words Meredith smiled so wide her eyes smiled with her. Sky returned her smile and drew her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he rested his chin atop her head. "Things are going to be a little different now," he confided quietly._

_Meredith took a deep breath, enjoying the closeness and scent of Sky. "Kind of the point."_

Sky turned over in his bed, a small smile on his face as he remembered every detail of that conversation, being able to finally drift off to sleep.

In a different room Meredith remembered the same conversation, the night that she finally gathered the strength to take a chance by telling Sky how she felt. Two weeks later 'other' Sky had appeared and changed her world forever. Their relationship had ended before it had a chance to really begin. Meredith hugged her pillow tightly, trying to block out her thoughts as she willed herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N-Just FYI this chapter takes place in the canon dimension... 

Sydney Drew tried to contain a yawn as she trudged into a conference room, the clock on the wall just now clicking to 8 AM. "Good morning Princess," the B-squad yellow ranger greeted.

Sydney, now used to her nickname refrained from her usual glare. "Sorry Z, but some of us were kept awake last night while you snored."

"I don't snore," the brunette protested quickly, earning a look from her roommate as they took their seats.

"Do you want me to call Jack and ask? Because I will," Sydney threatened, half motioning to get up out of her chair.

"Alright guys, let's get this meeting started," Sky said as he walked in, an open folder in his hands.

"What about Cruger?" Bridge asked.

"Shouldn't we wait for him?" The newest addition to the B-squad chipped in.

"It's okay Dieter, he's tied up right now and gave me the go ahead," Sky quickly dismissed, picking up a small device to activate a visualizer. Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the center of the table where the last documented surveillance image of sector twelve was being projected. "Sector twelve has been off the charts with activity but we've been unable to conduct standard surveillance. According to Kat there's an unstable dimensional tear."

"That's how the remaining Troobians have been able to evade us for so long," Z realized aloud.

"Exactly," Sky nodded in affirmation.

"What are we going to do about it?" Sydney asked, not having experience with anything dimension related before.

"Dieter and Bridge were able to get information regarding the next arms shipment from the criminal they detained a few days ago. Apparently they're bringing in several loads tonight. We'll intercept tonight and try to close the tear after we clean up the mess. Kat is working on a device to do that as we speak," Sky informed, shutting off the projector.

The self proclaimed B-squad all nodded in understanding and Sky adjourned the meeting. Z and Bridge had patrol duty and began walking to the parking garage, Bridge adamantly explaining his latest computer upgrade. Dieter excused himself to the command center where he had a shift, leaving Sydney and Sky alone in the conference room. "I know we studied theories on the multi-verse and alternate dimensions in our entry courses but thinking about it all still gives me a headache," Sydney complained mildly, getting up from her chair.

"You'd think it would get easier after personally visiting another dimension but it really doesn't," Sky added, gathering his folders and heading toward the door.

Sydney cocked her head to the side in sudden remembrance as she followed the red ranger out of the room. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You don't talk about it really. I'm guessing it wasn't that great of an experience?" she prodded gently.

Sky simply shrugged, not feeling like going into the experience in detail. After learning about the disturbance in sector twelve he began to have recurring nightmares the last few nights about the image of Meredith's body lying in the street. He shuddered at the memory and tried to focus on the brightness and warmth emanating from the pink ranger's eyes. "It's not important. Um…listen, about Friday…" Sky changed the subject a bit uncomfortably.

Sydney perked up at the mention of their date and looked at Sky expectantly, moving to the side of the hallway so they weren't in the passing cadet's ways. "Yeah?"

"How's Italian?"

"Perfect," she smiled, the smile that won her numerous magazine covers and Sky's heart.

"Good. I'll make reservations. I have to go finish a few reports but I'll meet you for lunch?" he asked, still a bit awkward about he and Sydney's dating status. This weekend would be their third official date and Sky couldn't be more thrilled about it, but he hadn't had much experience in the past leaving him to feel out of his element.

"Okay, I'll see you in the dining commons at noon then," she said before squeezing his arm affectionately. She smiled once more then jumped into the flow of traffic toward Kat's lab, having promised to help Boom with his latest project. Sky watched her go, thankful that the platinum starlet had been understanding and sensitive to his shortcomings in the romance department. 'Just one more reason why I don't deserve her,' he thought wryly to himself, thankful she had seen something worth caring about it him.

Sky snapped himself from his thoughts and began walking back to his quarters to get some much needed work done, surprised when he felt a sudden vibration coming from inside his jacket pocket. He juggled the folders in his hands and unzipped his jacket, grabbing his phone and mentally berating himself for forgetting to turn it off while on duty. He opened it up, answering without bothering to check the number. "Hello?"

"Hey Sky," greeted a cool voice over the line.

"Hey Meredith, what's going on?" he asked, weaving in and out of a few younger cadets.

"Nothing I just wanted to see what you were up to on Saturday night. That guy I told you about, you know Nate from my English class, he's throwing a party and said I should invite whoever. I thought if you guys weren't working that you could come," she invited, flipping absently through an art history book in her downtown apartment. Her eight o'clock class had been cancelled but she couldn't get back to sleep and decided to call Sky, knowing he would be up and probably working already.

Sky paused a moment while his automatic doors opened and entered his room, putting the contents of his hands onto his desk. "Yeah, we all have the night off actually and were trying to come up with something to do," Sky informed, sitting down in front of his computer.

"You mean Z and Sydney were trying to come up with something to force you guys to do," Meredith replied with a laugh.

"Basically," Sky ceded.

"Well you guys should totally come. Hey it will give you a chance to woo Syd on the dance floor at least," Meredith said smiling to herself, completely aware of how uncomfortable the comment would make Sky.

"I'm going now," Sky replied flatly, shaking his head at his friend's antics.

"Fine, just let call me when you know for sure okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh and Sky," Meredith began.

"Yeah?"

"When you come, and I know you will because Syd will not let you guys pass up a quality party, please be nice to Nate," she implored good naturedly. Meredith was met with silence from the other end of the phone line. "And stop doing a background check. I don't need to know that he got a traffic ticket when he was seventeen."

Sky stopped reading Nathan Haack's file on his computer and quit the screen, caught off guard that after only nine months Meredith knew him so well. "Sorry Mere, but I'm the red ranger. I'm a busy guy with tons of work and I wouldn't bother doing pointless background checks on guys I don't even know. Don't you think you're being just a bit paranoid?" he quickly replied, trying not to let on what he had been doing mere seconds ago.

"Geez Tate, sorry. Just trying to cover all the bases here," she apologized, scoffing slightly at his defensive response. "I'll let you get back to your work oh important one. Talk to you later?" she questioned with a smile in her voice.

Sky couldn't help but smile as well, "Sure thing Mere."

"Bye." Sky closed his phone and turned it off, still feeling as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was true, he hadn't treated the last couple guys attempting to court Meredith all too nicely. He did background checks and threw the dirt in their faces at inopportune times but he couldn't help but feel protective of her. She had turned out to be a good friend, even helping him with asking Sydney out. Had he not already had feelings for Sydney he would have considered Meredith in a different light, but it seemed they were just meant to be friends. Sky's thoughts once again floated back to his pink teammate and he had to mentally shake himself to focus on getting his work done, a lingering smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N-Thanks to yellow power and general-joseph-dickson for reviewing!...going back to the non-canon dimension... 

"So, how is everything?" Charlie asked, unable to contain her joy for seeing an old friend and comrade. She flipped her now short curly hair over her shoulder as she handed Meredith a glass of water. Both girls jumped slightly as Andrew Harpold worked on his project noisily nearby. "Harps, you mind keeping the sparks to a minimum?" Charlie asked loudly over the noise of his tools.

"Sorry!" he called back over the noise, returning to his work.

Meredith smiled at the pair's antics and returned her attention back to the conversation at hand. "Everything is good…really good. It's been so crazy going everywhere and anywhere, but I've learned a lot."

"The whole thing sounds amazing…planet hopping, meeting consulates and royalty…" Charlie said with a wistful twinkle in her eye.

"Fighting wars," Meredith finished for her somewhat less enthusiastically.

"But being a red ranger definitely has it's perks right?" she goaded with a smile and wink.

Meredith laughed, enjoying the antics that once annoyed her. "Of course, but I'm smart enough to know that just because I wear a different color than I used to doesn't mean I know everything. It's cool how each person brings their own knowledge to the team, I forget a lot that I'm supposed to be 'the leader' you know?'" Charlie nodded in understanding. "Plus it helps getting your ass handed to you every now and again, keeps you grounded," Meredith added jovially. Charlie giggled in response, unable to keep her own drink from sloshing onto her uniform. "What about you? Still enjoying the whole teaching gig?" Meredith asked in genuine interest.

Charlie's doe eyes sparkled at the mention of her students, "I completely love it! The younger cadets are such a blast to be around, and I feel like I really make an impact. I liked being a ranger but strong arming the scum of the earth all day isn't exactly my cup of tea," she explained. "Besides, I still have an occasional patrol shift now and again just to keep me on my toes."

"Harps over here seems to still be loving working in the tech development department," Meredith observed, motioning with her head toward their hard at work friend.

"Tell me about it. Sometimes I have to come down here and remind him to eat. He gets so engrossed with his projects I practically have to drag him to the dining commons myself," Charlie divulged affectionately.

Despite the noise Andrew had been listening to the conversation. He turned off his tools for a moment to respond. "I don't do that anymore. Passing out once was enough for me, I almost lost a hand," he said, shaking his hand in the air for emphasis before returning back to his work. Both girls laughed lightly before Meredith checked her watch and realized she had to report to the command center.

"Alright guys, I gotta head out. Somebody has to save the world while you're busy making it better," she announced, setting down her drink. Charlie jumped onto her former teammate, assaulting her with a cheery hug.

"Let me know the next time you're on earth," she insisted as she released her. Meredith nodded emphatically then went to Harps and imitated the exuberant hug Charlie had given her. Harps dropped what he was doing and tried to keep his balance, all laughing at the good hearted mockery.

"Later guys," she waved before exiting the doors and heading back toward the command center. She arrived a few minutes later, the last of both squads to get there. She quickly found her spot beside Aidan and saluted the Commander as he approached the two lines of rangers.

"At ease," he commanded with his hands tucked neatly behind his back. "We've acquired some new information regarding the use of the dimensional tear that requires our immediate action. An arms exchange between the dimensions and a transfer of soldier resources is taking place this evening. We're going to take them down when they move tonight and hopefully seal the tear so it can no longer be exploited or risk the stability of our dimension. Both Kat and Officer Harpold are working on a device to do this as we speak," he informed, going through several visual images on the 3-D projector. "As you can imagine the situation is much more delicate than a simple ambush. This means we will be breaking the squads down into small task groups according to specialty or necessity." Both squads stirred at the Commander's last comment though no one made any objection. "Dieter," Cruger began, motioning to the A-squad blue ranger. "You, Aidan, and Sydney will form Task Group 1. Your goal is to track the weapons and arms, securing them and intercepting their transfer. With any luck they will never make it to sector twelve." At this the blue rangers and the pink ranger nodded in understanding. "We have one of the drivers that was supposed to make the drop tonight. I need you to get all the information out of him that's possible and convince him to cooperate with us tonight in exchange for a shorter sentence." Cruger took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing to address the group. "I need Josh, Laura, and Duke to be Task Group 2. Your mission is to follow the leads on the underground hideouts for the Troobian foot soldiers. I want them contained and neutralized before they get to sector twelve as well. Bridge and Berret, you are Task Group 3. Your objective is to track down the big players and follow their every move up until the exchange tonight. I want to know the names of these mutants and aliens who are still working for Troobian purposes here on earth. You'll report to Task Group 4, Tate and Oliver." Cruger turned to address the two red rangers specifically. "Once we know who these guys are and learn their channels we need to take them down. You'll be stationed in sector twelve, the last safeguard against anyone getting through or coming out of the dimensional tear." They both nodded in understanding, Meredith trying to swallow the lump that had developed in her throat. Her specialty was surveillance, why wasn't she in Task Group 3? Was he trying to punish her? Putting her specifically in sector twelve with none other than Sky? 'Face your fears my ass,' Meredith thought bitterly, 'he's trying to kill me.' "Alright, you have your assignments. Dismissed," Cruger commanded. The rangers dispersed into their assigned groups and began preparation or left to begin their assignments.


	7. Chapter 7

Sky crossed his arms over his chest, finally resigning himself to the fact that he had to work with Meredith. He had to shake his head at the irony of it all. Not that long ago the only person he _would_ work with was Meredith. The golden haired twenty year-old approached Sky hesitantly, mirroring his guarded stance. "We should probably check on the progress of the dimension closing device," Meredith suggested with a shrug despite her knowledge that Harps wasn't done with it yet. He was still working on it when she had been down in the lab only fifteen minutes ago. Sky nodded in his standard stoic way. "And we should probably talk. You know, clear the air so we don't get each other killed out there? Just in case," Meredith added, turning and leading the way out of the command center. Sky was caught off guard by her directness and picked up his pace to catch up with her in the hallway.

"Let's go to my quarters," Sky suggested, wanting some privacy for the inevitably uncomfortable and more than likely emotional conversation.

Meredith didn't respond, but simply walked beside the red ranger the same way they had countless times a lifetime ago. So many memories lived in these walls for her, but those of her last months her couldn't be laid to rest. A few lower ranking cadets skittered out of their way and Meredith couldn't fight the nostalgia of it anymore. The reason her and Sky had come to this. _"Please tell me you're joking," Meredith implored, sitting up straighter in her bed. Charlie sat down at the foot of her bed with her 'I feel sorry for you' face on. Quite frankly Meredith had been seeing way too much of that face the past three weeks. _

_"I'm not. He really is on a leave of absence Mere," Charlie shrugged. "He told Commander it what because he needed to help his Uncle Wes out with the business while his Grandma was in the hospital," she explained exactly what Harps had told her. _

_The blonde leaned back against her pillows and rolled her eyes, "Give me a break, I can smell the bull shit all the way from here."_

_Charlie scowled at the brashness of her blue teammate's response. "His Grandma Jean is healthier than Sky is…and he hates dealing with the business. Wes tried to get him to come to some meetings and get involved last summer and he absolutely hated it," Meredith explained further. _

_Charlie sighed heavily and broke eye contact, trying to decide exactly what she should say next. "I've heard some other things from Dozer…but you're under strict no stress orders. It's been less than a month since you got hurt."_

_"I'm fine Charlie…I've been relieved of bed rest and I'm in physical therapy now. I can handle it. Besides, it's more stressful not knowing what's going on with Sky. I mean, this is the longest we've ever gone without seeing or talking to each other since we've met," Meredith tried to argue reasonably. She made sure not to come off too angry or hurt by Sky's blatant and continuing absence in her time of need, unable to seem any more vulnerable than she already was. If she had to take one more look of pity from anyone she felt like she would explode. _

_Charlie paused in a moment of decision, knowing she shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Sighing, she turned even more toward Meredith. "According to Dozer Sky is going after the Hathor of this dimension. He saw some highly classified files that Sky had taken and Dozer thinks he's gone complete vigilante on the guy." Meredith simply stared at Charlie in shock, instantly feeling guilty for Sky's over the edge vendetta behavior. "We don't know anything for sure. Sky's morpher has been off the grid for awhile, but Harps can't get in there to check without alerting the commander to his possible activities. If it's true we all know he's gone too far, but I don't want to get him suspended or court marshaled. He really is a good person and he doesn't deserve that no matter what the rule book says," Charlie affirmed. _

_"I think that's the first time you've ever stuck up for him," Meredith noted quietly. _

_Charlie shrugged, trying to hide a proud smile. "It's no secret Sky and I haven't always seen eye to eye," she confessed. _

_"And not just because you're almost a foot shorter," Meredith tried to lighten the mood. _

_"Yeah well…we have to look out for our own you know? Besides, with you temporarily out of commission someone's gotta watch his back."_

_The two girls shared a knowing look. "Thank you."_

_"Got anything yet Harps?" Meredith asked, speaking into her morpher quietly as she sat on the edge of her bed almost a week later. _

_"One second…wait I got it," Andrew whispered back, constantly checking over his shoulder and around the command center to make sure no one was around. "He's at the corner of Pearl Street and Division…it looks like he's been there awhile."_

_"Thanks Harps, you're the best," Meredith thanked excitedly. She immediately began putting on her shoes, getting up and grabbing her jacket as she prepared to leave. A few minutes later and there came a knock at the door. Meredith gave the audio command to unlock the doors, thankful that Charlie had night patrol and wasn't being bothered by all of the late night activity. The doors opened revealing an agitated yellow ranger. _

_"Look Mere, I got you the information and now you know that Sky is fine and here. But I will not let you go out there," Harps tried to stand up to the girl. It wasn't in his nature to interfere but it was his friend's safety at stake._

_"I appreciate your concern but I'll be fine. Two weeks off of bed rest and I couldn't be better," Meredith tried to convince the red head, flexing her arm for over the top emphasis. _

_"Then either I'm coming with you or I will wake up Dozer and nobody wants that," Harps stood firm. _

_The blonde thought for a second before relenting, "Fine, go get your coat and let's go. I'll wait here."_

_Harps smiled, feeling victorious. "I'll be right back." As soon as her yellow teammate left Meredith grabbed a sheet of scrap paper and scribbled a note, setting it on her desk before leaving her room. She walked as silently and quickly as she could, avoiding the hallways she knew Harps would take. When she finally hit the exit she picked up the pace, getting to the parking lot and into her civilian car heading in Sky's direction. _

_Harps jogged back to Charlie and Meredith's room, shoving his free arm into his jacket. The door opened but inside it was dark. Harps frowned slightly in confusion, moving further into the room and noticing a bright yellow note addressed to him. He picked it up, reading in disbelief. "So trusting , I love it Harps…never change. But if you follow me I will kick your ass (injuries and all). Love, Mere." Harps didn't know whether to laugh or be really pissed off that she would do something so reckless. He folded the note and slipped it into his jacket pocket, considering ignoring her threat. He could wake Dozer and go after her anyway but he reconsidered. 'She's just going to talk to Sky after all,' he thought rationally. 'And it's almost 1AM, Dozer would kill me if I woke him up.'_

Once secure within the S.P.D. regulation walls of Sky's room he began to pace in a small circle, looking for a way to begin. "You won't find them," Meredith finally broke the silence.

Sky stopped mid step and looked precariously at her. "Find what?"

"The right words. Some magical combination of nouns and verbs that makes everything okay. I've had this conversation in my head at least a thousand times and I'm pretty sure they just don't exist," she confided with a snort. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed, stretching her legs out in front of her in an effort to release some of the tension in her body. She wanted to be logical about this, to not let her emotions get the best of her and play the role of the strong red ranger. But that wasn't her. She couldn't be a robot of efficiency and quite frankly it didn't seem to be working all that well for Sky.

"You're right. But for what it's worth I'm sorry," he stated simply, at a loss for anything else to say at to remedy the damage he had done in one night so long ago.

_The dark street corner was in the rough end of town, the only activity a few customers stumbling out of 'The Crypt' bar and other equally shady characters ambling about. Meredith tried to square her shoulders and avoid eye contact as her steps echoed on the damp pavement. With the safety of her morpher concealed on her hip she entered the bar, trying to scope out the room through the smoky haze. She squeezed to the side against a wall to let a few guys past her, trying not to shrink under their scrutiny. One whistled but she ignored it, moving further into the room and trying to spot Sky. 'You guys must be pretty desperate,' she thought to herself when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a small mirror hanging on the wall. Her golden hair was down and tucked behind her ears, her complexion dull from lack of activity. There were lingering bruises across her cheek as well as traces of dark circles underneath her eyes, and believe it or not this was an improvement. Apparently throwing your body in front of tons of concussive and incendiary force took quite a toll on your body. _

_A cowboy wannabe ordering drinks at the bar moved, going back to his game of pool and revealing a lonesome figure hunched over his drink. Meredith's heart rate quickened as she walked toward the end of the bar. He clearly wasn't too aware of his surroundings and didn't even notice as she approached. He was wearing an army green t-shirt, a black jacket and black pants, looking weathered and brooding. Meredith's eyes narrowed when she noticed what looked like bloodstains on his shirt, and not human blood. She pulled the stool next to his a bit closer, the movement catching his eye. He turned his head slightly, ready to verbally accost whomever was trying to disturb him. His eyes widened slightly in recognition and his whole body tensed. "Long time no see soldier," Meredith greeted. She pulled herself up to sit on the stool, cringing slightly at her still tender ribs. _

_Sky noticed her physical discomfort and his mind started to swim. Everything that he had been wrestling with the last month combined with the alcohol was not helping him deal with seeing Meredith for the first time since 'the accident'. "What the hell are you doing here Ols?" he asked, taking another sip of his whisky in an effort to numb himself further. _

_Meredith scoffed in disbelief at his cold greeting. "I wanted to talk to you and waiting for you to come see me clearly hasn't been working…"_

_"You shouldn't be out this late. Especially here…you should be back at the base resting," he scolded. _

_The blonde shook her head. "Right, I should be home resting while you're out at all hours drinking and hunting down an alternate version of the mutant who hurt me, completely unauthorized mind you. When exactly were you planning on seeing me? When you came back to base with Hathor's head on a platter? Though from the mess on your clothes it doesn't look like there's even that much left of him," she observed, trying to make eye contact. At the very least illicit some response she could recognize._

_Sky downed the rest of his drink as he looked forward, down, anywhere but Meredith's eyes. "I've been tracking him for the better part of the month. I planned on bringing him in…but things just got out of hand," he explained stoically. _

_"Out of hand? He's dead Sky…that is so beyond out of hand," Meredith exclaimed, drawing the attention of the bar tender and a few other patrons nearby. She ignored their looks and tried to regain her composure. _

_"I don't need this from you of all people," he warned, almost scaring Meredith. _

_"Can we just go somewhere and talk? About everything?" she asked, almost pleading. She touched his arm and Sky flinched under her touch, pulling away. _

_"No, I can't even look at you without feeling guilty. I let you in and all it's done is turn me into this," he slurred angrily, motioning to the blood on his clothes. She was his best friend, his most trusted confidant, and the girl he had fallen for. She had gotten hurt because of his carelessness and he could never forgive himself. He hadn't visited her because he couldn't take looking at her when she seemed so weak and broken. He felt a complete lack of control and so many emotions that overwhelmed him. It was like losing his father all over again and he couldn't deal with it, that's why he had gone after Hathor. _

_Meredith retracted, getting up from her seat and stepping back in an effort to distance herself from him. How could he say such a horribly hurtful thing when all she did was protect him. He was the person she cared most for and he had truly abandoned her. "Why…why would you ever say that?" _

_Sky turned and finally looked at Meredith for the first time. The hurt he saw in her eyes was all consuming. He knew then and there that he could never take it back and make it right. He had finally alienated the only person who could truly care about him. But isn't that what he wanted? To never be affected by someone else so deeply, to keep him from feeling this kind of pain ever again? There was a part of him that resented her and he hated himself for that. "Ols…" he started, not quite sure what to say._

_She simply shook her head as she backed away, turning around and moving toward the door. An imposing drunk with a beer in one hand and a pool cue in the other moved into her way. "Leaving so soon?" he slurred while leering at her. _

"_Move," she stated forcefully, her voice beginning to give way to her emotions. _

"_Hey now…we're all having a good time," he began trying to cajole her with his sleezy charm. _

_Sky stood from his stool, unsure of what was happening when Meredith elbowed the stranger in the stomach. He dropped the contents of both hands, grabbing his stomach in pain as he groaned loudly. She stepped beyond him but he grabbed her wrist anyway. Without hesitation she twisted from his grasp and backhanded him across the face with a closed fist. He dropped to his knees and Meredith walked away without looking back._

_Sky sat back down in his stool, wanting to scream or cry but unable to do so. Flagging down the bartender he did the only thing he could do and ordered another drink. _

Meredith almost laughed, nodding and looking out the window as she tried to keep her now wet eyes from being seen. Sky sat down in his desk chair and released a deep breath. "You're sorry. I jumped in front of a freakin' fireball for you and you're 'sorry' that you didn't come see me? You're sorry that you blamed me for you killing Hathor? You're sorry that you hated me for meaning so much to you? You abandoned me when I needed you the most. I was scared and hurting and I felt so alone without you there. But hey, as long as you're sorry," Meredith finished bitterly, waving her hands in exasperation as she spoke.

"You think it was that simple for me?" Sky questioned, the anger in his voice poorly masked. "It was like when I lost my father all over again. I felt a complete lack of control and so much anger. I was mad at myself for letting you save me like that, I was mad at Hathor for being evil, and I was mad at the world for letting another bad thing happen to someone I cared about. Just when I thought I could let myself care about you as more than a friend and teammate you got hurt, and it was my fault. I couldn't look at you bruised and broken without feeling complete and utter guilt," Sky exploded, finally releasing the emotions he had been wrestling with for so long.

Meredith wiped at her eyes, trying to stop from crying. "I didn't need you to fix the world Sky, I just wanted you to hold my hand."

"I couldn't," Sky replied simply, his head now in his hands. Meredith looked out the window once again as she tried to wrangle in her emotions, a few minutes of silence passing between the two. "And when I finally came to my senses and realized what I had done…to Hathor…to you…"

"You mean when you finally sobered up," Meredith sneered.

Sky acknowledged the truth of her statement with unobjective silence, continuing with his explanation anyway. "When I realized everything and began figuring it all out I came to try and find you but you had already left. You took the red ranger position on the Fire-squad without even telling me, without saying goodbye or trying to make things right between us. I may have been a coward but you did your fair share of running too. And that's when I realized you had given up on me." The last confession had hurt Sky the most and enraged him equally, feeling just as betrayed as he was sure Meredith had.

"It's not like I left the same night Sky, it wasn't a whim decision that I made. It was another month before I left…but I'll admit, it was the easy way out. I couldn't breath here anymore. Every inch of this place only served to remind me of you, and when I thought of you all I could hear were those heartbreaking words you said to me in the bar that night. I had to get away from it all and be someone else for awhile, I didn't want to be the girl that caused you so much pain anymore." Meredith crossed her arms over her chest defensively, not having been this vulnerable since she was hurt nine months ago. It was uncomfortable at best as she tried to shield her tears from Sky.

Sky's own eyes were wet and his face was flushed from all of the emotional upheaval. "I wish I could go back and get over my issues enough to be there for you and treat you like you deserved. You have always been supportive of me and it was the least I could have done for you…especially after you sacrificed yourself like that for me," he said earnestly, his elbows on his knees as he dropped his head slightly.

She considered his honest words, what she thought was her hardened heart now reaching out to him after all this time. "But I'm not sorry about what I did. It was the only way to get the 'other' Sky home and I couldn't bear to just stand by and watch you get hurt. Despite everything that's happened I'd do it again if it meant saving you from the pain," she confessed, trying to make eye contact with Sky. He refused to lift his head and meet her eyes, too ashamed of his own actions and the person he became because of shutting her out for so long.

Before Sky had a chance to reply the beep of Meredith's morpher disturbed the thick tension in the room and jolted both rangers back to reality and the situation at hand. She took the morpher from her hip and activated the com link. "Oliver…go ahead."

"Mere, I'm just putting the finishing touches on the dimension modifying device right now. You can come to the lab and pick it up," the red headed scientist informed her.

"Thanks Harps, we'll be down in a minute," she said before closing the morpher and placing it back on her hip. "I guess we should go," Meredith said, standing and trying to pull herself together.

Sky stood as well and once again put up his stoic façade. "Right…"


End file.
